A vacancy at the Coachella Valley Unified School District caused by the resignation of trustee Frank Becerra will be filled by appointment rather than special election.

The school district’s six remaining trustees unanimously agreed with Superintendent Edwin Gomez on Thursday night that an appointment would be cheaper and faster and could allow for a larger number of candidates. An April 2018 special election would have cost upwards of $98,000.

The decision to appoint got support from Carissa Carrera, president of the Coachella Valley Teachers Association, who said she hoped the inclusion of the community in the appointment process would help instill confidence.

CVUSD will begin soliciting applications on Monday and end on Oct. 4, according to the superintendent. The home address of each applicants will be verified, and interviews will be conducted out in the open at the Oct. 19 board meeting.

The deadline to appoint a new trustee is Nov. 6. That person will hold office until November 2018 and then must seek reelection. The seat includes the Oasis and Salton Sea communities.

Board president Blanca Hall said she was “saddened by having to take two steps back to move forward,” but hoped to have someone with the “same mission and vision” seated soon.

“This has not tainted our district,” she said.

Becerra pleaded guilty on Sept. 12 to a misdemeanor charge of filing false paperwork months after being accused of lying about his address so he could campaign in an area where he didn’t live. His plea deal — he was originally facing three counts of felony perjury and one felony campaign violation — included his resignation from the school board and 120 hours of community service.

In July 2016, Becerra filed forms with county election officials for two different CVUSD trustee areas in Thermal, the second of which opened onto a field of crops. Becerra said he lived there in a trailer. But an investigator alleged that Becerra was only using the address because he hadn’t wanted to challenge his friend and former Coachella mayor Jesus Gonzalez.